Out of Sight, Out of Mind
by shattered melodies
Summary: Naruto has lost all of his memories. His best friend, Sakura, any mission, everything he knows; it's all gone. Now, Sakura's determined to make sure he gets better. Slight NaruSaku, slightly AU. Review!
1. Chapter 1

**Hey, guys! Long time no see. =]  
>I know it's been such a long time since I've uploaded...<br>But I'm back. School's done and I have time.  
>I hope you enjoy this! I tried making a one-shot, but I couldn't do it.<br>I need another chapter ;~;  
>Please review! I love you? :3<strong>

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><p><span>Out of Sight, Out of Mind<span>

"We're counting on you, Naruto."

"All of us believe in you!"

"Everything is in your hands."

These were words that the young, orange ninja heard on a daily basis. It was all up to him to come to the rescue; not the Fifth Hokage, not even Kakashi-sensei, just Naruto. He had no idea what was better, being hated for having the Nine Tails sealed inside his belly or suffering the burden of the entire village on his shoulders constantly. After defeating Pain, after defeating Nagato, he was so hoping for some time to rest. He was suffering from using too much of his and the Nine Tails' chakra, but of course, as fate would have it, Madara had to step in and initiate his plans for world domination. The stress was piling on, but the villagers never saw it. Everyone just expected him to act as a warrior and tough it out. Naruto was simply just a tool to be executed by his village. Even Naruto fooled himself into thinking he was an exception; that he could just finish Madara real quick and return home. Things would go back to normal. However, his body was beyond its breaking point and forced him to settle down in a rather sadistic manner. It was his memory that was targeted… and one day he would just wake up, not knowing anything he used to. What would the village do then?

Uzumaki Naruto woke up one cloudy morning to the sound of banging on the door. As his sapphire blue eyes opened, a sense of panic flowed through his veins. Who was at the door? But more importantly, where was he? He sat up quickly and just stared at his hands. They were scarred heavily, and the palms of his hands were rough. How did that happen? Did he somehow get hurt unbeknownst to him? He clenched his hands and stared at his knuckles. Scratches marked his peachy skin and no matter how hard he tried to remember, nothing came to mind in how they came about. He let his fingers trace the skin all over his body as he stood up and headed to a mirror. The apartment that belonged to him did not feel like it was his. There was nothing familiar to him as he tried to recognize the man in the mirror. It was him, but Naruto did not even know who he was. He was scared, of course. Who was this man that stared back at him with the same fearful expression? He had the same spiky blond hair as he, and yet, no name came. His heart began to beat intensively as his first three fingers on both of his hands brushed the whiskers on his cheeks, his jaw line, his hair, his arms, his stomach, and his legs. Who was he? Who was the man in the mirror?

"Naruto! Get out of bed already, we have a mission!" A loud, female voice rang from behind the door not too far away from him. Naruto, being jumpy and afraid, instantly twisted his head to stare at it. Who was this Naruto? But, that was beside the point; maybe this woman could help him remember. He dashed towards the door and opened it to see a beautiful girl, but she was nowhere near familiar. She had rosy pink hair, light green eyes, and pale skin. She was wearing the typical green vest that normal Chuunin and perhaps some Jounin wear. She wore her hair in a small bun and she had a very frustrated expression. It was Haruno Sakura.

"There you are! It's about time you got your ass out of bed!" Her expression softened somewhat when she noticed there was something different about her friend. His skin was slightly pale and he looked confused. "Naruto…?"

"Who's Naruto?" He responded in a curious voice. Sakura furrowed her brow as she took a step back in confusion. Sure, Naruto was a bit of a dunce, but what suddenly caused him to question his identity?

"What are you talking about?" She said quietly before responding a lot louder. "You are Naruto!"

"I am?" He looked back inside his apartment and leaned against the frame of the door. "Then why can't I remember anything?"

"Naruto, if this is some kind of joke…"

"I'm not joking! Can you help me? Uhm, what's your name again…?" For some reason, Naruto asking for her name caused Sakura's heart to beat strangely and painfully. He really was not joking.

"Are you suffering from amnesia or something? It's me, Sakura!"

"Sakura… does not ring a bell. I've never met you before." Sakura glared intensively at her comrade. He just had to be making things up, so to make him remember, she slapped him upside the head. She thought she was holding back, but of course to anyone who has been slapped or punched by her, it was incredibly hard. Naruto grabbed his head in pain and returned the glare.

"What the hell was that for? You… you hit me!"

"Stop playing these tricks, you're not funny!"

"Okay, the two of us just met and you're throwing these crazy accusations at me! I may not know who I am, but I'm sure as hell not playing a trick on you," He sighed agitatedly for another second and grabbed the door knob. "If you're not going to help me remember anything, please don't come by again!" And with that, he slammed the door in her face and returned to his bed. He slammed hard against his mattress, and laid his head against the pillow. The clouds outside began to darken and moments later, rain began to pour down.

"Who am I…?" He whispered. "Who's Naruto, who's Sakura? What's going on…?"

Sakura was afraid. The moment he slammed the door in her face, she knew that he really was not joking at all. He really lost his memory, he really did not know who he was or even she. What a time to lose it, too! Konohagakure was on the verge of falling, many people were falling ill and were sick. Most of the Jounin and Chuunin were out on missions, trying to protect what was left of their village. Fiascos fell heavily upon the village, and the Fifth Hokage was relying extremely on Naruto to free them from this hell. Now, he could not do anything about it. What would she say to this? Tsunade-sama was already overloaded, but it could not be helped.

"Tsunade-sama," Sakura had run over to the Fifth Hokage's office as soon as she left Naruto's home. She bowed her head as she entered the office, which was overflowing with paperwork. In the middle of the piles of work was the sandy-haired Godaime Hokage.

"Sakura, you're alone," Tsunade furrowed her brow in confusion. "Where's Naruto? You always bring him."

"We have an emergency…"

"…He lost his memory?" She stood up abrasively, her brown eyes fired up in rage. Her left hand clenched into a fist as a pile of paper fell over the side of her desk, but that was redeemed insignificant at the moment. A slight snarl left her mouth, as she stared at the floor in front of her. How in the blazes did he lose his memory? Did someone put a drug into his drink? She had to fix this somehow.

"Sakura, I need you to bring Naruto here. If you have to knock him out, do so. Whatever works, just bring him over here!" Tsunade yelled out of frustration and stress, her eyes ablaze. "NOW!"

"Y-yes, Tsunade-sama," Sakura replied and ran out the office in fear. It was always scary to see Tsunade outraged. One never knew what or who got hurt.

In a moment's flash, she was back at Naruto's apartment. She knocked this time around, wanting to take a more relaxed approach when handling him. He answered after a while and grimaced slightly after seeing her.

"Are you going to hurt me again?"

"No, not at all!" She said with an almost hurt voice. "I know someone who can help you remember everything." Naruto relaxed the moment she said that. He seemed almost happy at the offer.

"Really? Thank you, Sakura-chan, I owe you-!" Naruto covered his mouth as he blurted out the familiar name and title he gave to only her. His cheeks burned beneath his finger tips as he gazed into her eyes. She smiled lightly in relief and nodded her head.

"You remember me?"

"It's… it's really fuzzy. But, I just remember feeling close to you. Like you're someone who means a lot,"

"We're friends, Naruto, and we're on the same team! Of course the two of us are close," Sakura could not help but blush. She felt relief deep down and something else that she could not put her finger on.

"We are?" He smiled goofily, which felt familiar. "Nice to meet you again, then."

"Very funny, let's go." She took his hand in hers and guided him to the Hokage's office. She thought she could trigger some memories if she took him through the village.

"Do you remember what your dream is, Naruto?" She asked as she stared at the faces of the past Hokages.

"…No, what was it?" He felt like he was missing something as he gazed where Sakura was looking. It had something to do with the Hokages, didn't it?

"Naruto… you want to become Hokage one day. You trained so hard these past few years so everyone would acknowledge you," She felt a slight sadness as she explained his dream to him. She never dreamed about the day he would forget the one thing that he bragged about since he was just a little kid. Was it even possible?

"Hmm," His mind was still blank. "I… can't remember."

"…What about ramen? You love ramen!" She pointed to the ramen bar dubbed Ichiraku Ramen across the street. Naruto gazed solemnly towards it and shook his head.

"What's ramen? I don't even know what it is…" It was depressing him that he had no idea who he was anymore. How could he have lost all of his memory so suddenly?

"Naruto…" Sakura bit her lip to stop herself from crying out. Why was this hurting her so much? Maybe it was just the way Naruto looked at everything now. His eyes washed over his village with confusion, like he felt as though he did not belong here. It was a faraway look, like the one she used to saw in him when he was seven or so. She wiped her eyes with her glove and forced herself to smile at him.

"Don't worry about a thing, Naruto…" She said, even though her voice cracked harshly. "We're going to get you help. We're going to get you back to normal. I promise!" Naruto turned to look at her and with wide eyes, he nodded his head. She, out of everything in the village, was the most familiar to him. He knew deep down he felt love for her, and that was the only thing that made sense to him. He smiled slightly in response to her.

"Thank you, Sakura-chan…"

To Be Continued.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey, everyone.  
>I hope you enjoy this last chapter. It was a lot of fun to write, I'm not gonna lie. :3<br>There's a little more NaruSaku fluff...  
>Please review! I love you guys. Thank you to those who did review.<br>You are so nice!**

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><p>Out of Sight, Out of Mind<em><br>___Part 2__

"Is there anything that you remember?" Tsunade asked in an inpatient voice. Naruto arrived with Sakura moments before, and she dragged him into the white hospital room. He sat upon a silver, cold table, his back slouched over, and his expression wary.

"No, not really," Naruto responded in a slight mutter. He already did not like Tsunade. He saw her for five minutes and he was already afraid for his life. The only thing that kept him calm was Sakura standing next to him, their hands interlocked loosely.

"Well, give me specifics!"

"Uhm… The only thing I can say is familiar is being friends with Sakura-chan. I don't remember anyone. I don't remember anything that's happened to me!" He frowned and glanced at the ground. "…I don't even remember my dream…" Tsunade calmed herself for a second. He forgot his desire to become Hokage? That seemed relatively dangerous. She grabbed a white clipboard and began to jot down some notes on the single piece of paper.

"We have to study him, Sakura," She said after a while. "I fear he has hysterical amnesia."

"…Who's hysterical?" Naruto asked with a slight smile, trying to be somewhat funny while still confused. Hysterical, as in laughing hysterically?

"Hysterical amnesia is completely forgetting your past and your identity, Naruto," Sakura answered in a stern voice. She looked at him worriedly. Hysterical amnesia was extremely rare, and it occurred when a traumatic event took place. It literally forces the brain to start all over again. It was dangerous, and recovery was never a hundred percent. "It's really, really dangerous."

"Is there anything you guys can do? You're medic ninjas!" He was panicking at this point. What if he never got his memory back? Tsunade sighed as she gazed at her patient directly.

"Amnesia has no cure. You have to remember things on your own. The best thing to do is hang around with your friends and just talk. Remember what it was like to be around them. Naruto, recovery… it takes time. It could all come crashing on you suddenly one day all at once, or it could be a long time one by one," Tsunade exhaled through her nose and it was becoming clear that she could not hold back her frustration much longer. Naruto clenched both of his fists and stared at the ground. Tsunade and he shared the same anger.

"Why would this happen…?"

"I don't know!" Tsunade turned around. "What a time to lose your memory." She muttered underneath her breath as she left the room in a hurry.

"Sakura-chan…"

"Don't say anymore," She said, keeping her head up. Her hand reached up and cupped his chin, the two of them staring into each other's eyes. She had a determined, strong expression. "I promised I would save you from this, did I not? We're going to beat this. Just rely on me, Naruto." '_Just like I always used to rely on you._' The orange ninja just looked in amazement at the pink-haired beauty. His heart never beat so fast than at this moment, not that he remembered. The two of them must have been more than friends before this. Why else would she have been so willing, so affectionate to him? Naruto smiled and nodded his head. He could get used to this.

"Right, Sakura-chan!"

For the next few days, the two of them spent every waking moment together. They were excused from missions because in a sense, this was a mission. Sakura had to save Konoha's number one knucklehead from himself, and Naruto could not do anything except follow Sakura at this point. The two of them met up with the rest of Konoha Twelve mostly every day. The only people Naruto recognized at all were Hyuuga Hinata, Rock Lee, and for some reason, Akamaru. Everyone else, he met for the second time.

"Okay, so let me get this straight…" Inuzuka Kiba said when the gang all met up, emphasizing his point by talking with his hands. "Naruto has completely lost his mind?"

"…He has hysterical amnesia. He can't remember anything; he hasn't lost his mind," Sakura defended him with a slight glare.

"Same difference!"

"Sakura-san, when will he get better?" Lee asked, frowning sadly for his helpless kouhai.

"We just have to wait it out…" Sakura looked towards Naruto, who seemed to be enjoying his time meeting up with Neji, Ino, and Shino. "It's really sad. He… he doesn't even remember his friendship with Sasuke."

"Maybe that's for the best," Kiba said. "Naruto would be so much happier if he didn't remember him. They could both live their lives free of each other."

"But, what about the rest of us?"

"Sakura, the only people who still care about that worthless scum are you and Naruto. Maybe even Kakashi-sensei. Well, now only you and your sensei, I guess. Let him go."

"I guess," She sighed, really not wanting to recollect on those dark memories with her former crush. "Right, Naruto would be happier. But anyway, he doesn't even remember his dream in becoming Hokage. I took him out to see the faces in the cliff, and he didn't recognize any of them. I feel like I don't even know him anymore."

"If you ever need us, Sakura-san, we'll be right here!" Lee smiled, winked at her, and held up his thumb the way he always did when he was promising something. Sakura smiled at his kind offer and nodded her head.

"Thanks, guys…"

It had been surprisingly peaceful during this time of war, during this time of memory loss. Naruto and Sakura were closer than before and they were enjoying each other's company as she reminded him of past memories. They went out every day, going to the most beautiful places in Konoha that had not been ravaged by the war, and there, the memories flowed naturally. She told him about Team Seven and how much fun the four of them had while they were still a team. When Naruto asked about a certain rogue ninja who used to belong their team, Sakura merely said that he died on a mission. It was best that Naruto did not know the truth. Sure, he was sad at first, but he just felt lucky enough to still have Sakura around. After a few days, Naruto was able to recognize a few things, like ramen. The instant he took the first sip of ramen, he remembered going to Ichiraku every day, especially when he was twelve years of age. He was laughing the moment he remembered, he was so giddy. It even got Sakura to join in on the giggles.

But, the peace and the fun did not last. Fate would never allow things to become too comfortable for too long. Uchiha Madara was plotting. And he was coming fast.

One morning, all hell broke loose. The weather went from gentle and calm to stormy in an instant. The rain poured down on the villagers, and they thought nothing of it. Seconds later, the screams began. Dozens of people died with every flash and strike of lightning. The ninjas were hidden in the lightning, and they stormed down with the buckets of rain.

The storm woke up both Naruto and Sakura at the same time. Sakura had stayed over at his home the night before because she lost track of time and there was a pretty heavy storm that she could not run through without getting sick. Nothing close to this one, however. There was an ominous omen in the air, it was overwhelming, even. The two of them glanced at each other and without an exchange of verbal talking, they knew they had to go see what was happening. They got dressed quickly and ran out of the apartment without a further moment. By the time they left, however, the village was already nearly destroyed.

"What the… what the hell happened?" Sakura said somewhat softly and rhetorically. Naruto's head twisted both left and right to see the damage caused and his heart sank. What was peaceful and more structurally together was now rubble on the dirt floor. His village was disappearing. There was a strange pulse in his heart that was familiar, like he knew he had to save these people.

"I have to save everyone…" He said out loud. Those few words caught Sakura's attention instantly and she snapped her head to the right to look at him.

"Are you crazy? You can't do anything, Naruto, you have to stay put!" She responded.

"But, Sakura-chan, I have to save my village!"

"Leave that to us," She smiled and placed her hand on his shoulder, looking very deeply into his big blue eyes. "I promised I was going to save you, wasn't I? We are all going to fulfill that promise. We have to protect you, Naruto."

"Sakura-chan…" Her words were somehow inspiring, and he knew he could not win in a fight with her. Not now, anyway. Even though he was reluctant, he nodded his head. Call it impulsive, but Naruto could not help but to suddenly embrace her in his arms. "Please, just come back to me, Sakura-chan, when it's all over." She gasped lightly, allowing her cheeks to become a pleasant red color. But, she returned his hug with a tight grip and smiled.

"Of course, I will. Nobody messes with Haruno Sakura. You, of all people, know that, Naruto!" And just like that, Sakura was gone. But, the bad omen only got stronger. And all Naruto could do was wait and pray.

Hours passed by, and there was no word from Sakura. Naruto's heart was quickening with every minute that his love did not return. He spent a lot of time pacing, and trying to ignore any bad feelings. But, he could not help it at this point. He was freaking out, especially on the outside. He could feel himself getting sick from all the stress and it would not diminish. By the time seven hours passed, Naruto was unable to bear the pain anymore. He had to go see her, find her, and hold her. He just had to confirm it with his own eyes, that she was okay. He let out a scream and dashed out into the battle field. He called her name repeatedly and never once got a reply back. He was hoping he would hear her say something along the lines of, "You idiot, what are you doing outside? Go home!" But no, she never answered.

"Sakura-chan! Sakura-chan!" He yelled her name as loud as possible the moment he got the gates, the land in front of him nothing more than a dry wasteland, but then he saw her in the midst of it. His body froze up the second he saw her on the ground unconscious. Her body was scraped up horribly, she had deep wounds that looked impossible to fix, and she was mangled. He wanted to faint, but instead, he remembered a memory. When he was fighting Pain, Hinata was in the same situation. She almost died protecting him, even though she was clearly outmatched. Sakura matched Hinata's exact profile. Tears formed at Naruto's eyes as he teleported over to her. He held her gently in his arms, and he shook her, trying to get her to wake up. He blinked many times to see if he was having a horrible nightmare, but he was completely awake. Tears fell fast from Naruto's eyes as he held her as close to his heart as possible. He was going to get revenge. Nobody hurts Sakura on his watch, ever.

"Kyuubi, you've finally arrived," Madara's voice interrupted Naruto's crying a few minutes after he found her. Naruto stopped instantly, and as if a miracle occurred, he regained a part of his old self again. He knew this man. He knew him too well.

"Uchiha Madara," He said in a low, rough voice. "Did you hurt Sakura-chan?"

"Sakura-chan?" Madara glanced at the girl in Naruto's arms. "Oh, you mean that weak Medical Ninja? For once, it wasn't me. It was Sasuke." It was all coming back to him. Sasuke was not dead; he left the village to gain power, to kill Itachi. He changed, he was no longer kind, nor did he care about his village anymore. He would hurt anyone that got in his way of revenge. But above that, they were still best friends. "But, I am the one who executed the plan to destroy Konoha. This damn village has had too much fun for too long." Madara pulled the strings behind the Akatsuki, he was the true leader. He played Pain and Nagato like the devil he was. Madara was behind the attack on Konoha and he is the one who released the Nine Tailed Fox. The fire deep down inside Naruto, that spark of hatred, was burning brightly now.

"You're going to pay for all this, Madara!" The battle commenced, and before he could realize it, Naruto was declared the winner. Madara had used too much chakra in the storm, so before he could let himself die, he disappeared, along with his other followers. But, it was over, and that was all that was relevant. Remembering that Sakura was hurt, the orange ninja ran over to her body and held her in his arms again. Her eyes began to twitch lightly, and then she opened them. Naruto was overflowing with happiness and just held her tightly.

"Sakura-chan, you're okay!"

"Y-you idiot, what… are you doing outside? Go home…" She replied breathlessly, groaning in pain as she tried healing her deepest wounds.

"I came to save you guys," He smiled lightly as he wiped away the tears in his eyes. "Sakura-chan, I… I did it."

"You saved us?" She looked around and peace was surrounding them. "You did it, Naruto. I'm so… I'm so happy…"

"Not that, Sakura-chan…"

"What?"

"I remember. I remember everything again." He smiled proudly at her. "I remember our squad; I remember Madara and his plans. The Akatsuki, Konoha Twelve, Kakashi-sensei, Tsunade-baachan, Orochimaru; everything! It's all clear again." Her eyes widened as Naruto was telling her about everything. She never mentioned Madara, the Akatsuki, or Orochimaru, so he really was not joking. This time around, Sakura smiled and wiped away the tears from her eyes.

"Welcome back, Naruto."

End.


End file.
